Seattle Real Estate:

We had the, somewhat unhappy, occasion to need the services of a locksmith this past week. The folks at Bonafide Lock & Safe in Kirkland were pleasant and accommodating. They seemed to offer a wide variety of products in services and were friendly to boot.

The election on the proposed annexation area of Finn Hill, Kingsgate and Totem Lake into the city of Kirkland was November 3rd, 2009 and, as of yesterday, the votes are still so close that it’s unclear whether the proposed annexation areas (or PAA) are going to become part of Kirkland or not.
Requiring 60% approval to [...]

Seattle recently made MSN’s list of Top Ten Pet Friendly cities of 2009. This is unsurprising news if you live in the Seattle metro area since you’re used to seeing dogs of all shapes and sizes on sidewalks, in parks, inside shops and even some offices!
According to the list, “These cities have earned their bones [...]

Well, it’s official. According to the Seattle Times
Voters in North Juanita, Finn Hill and Kingsgate will decide Nov. 3 whether they want to become part of neighboring Kirkland.
The Metropolitan King County Council voted Monday to put the annexation issue on the ballot.
The Kirkland City Council authorized annexation in April, and the state Boundary Review Board [...]

The Seattle Times printed a feature on the Finn Hill area recently.  You can see the original article here, but here are a few excerpts:
“Once known for its population’s singular heritage, the Finn Hill neighborhood is now a study in diversity that spans age, wealth and even geographic identification.
Depending on where you live on the [...]

According to US News and Word Report, Seattle’s own University of Washington Medical Center made their list of America’s Best Hospitals, which is “an annual ranking of the country’s elite medical centers”.
The list complied is a, “…tool for patients who need medical sophistication most facilities cannot offer. Unlike other rankings and ratings that [...]

We recently had a request for information on what’s happening with the real estate market in Bellevue and Issaquah. The following figures are all for single family homes - no condos, land, or multi-family.

You’ll see that the charts call out both average (avg) and median (med) numbers. Each tell a different story and are useful to look at the market from different angles.

The last month displayed is May 2009. I find that it pays to wait a few days into the following month before compiling stats. It can take a few days for all of the sales to be updated in the MLS.

Interested in finding somewhere to spend a few quiet hours? Allow us to recommend Saint Edward State Park in Kenmore. It is the largest remaining undeveloped area on Lake Washington. According to the brochure we picked up from the park,
“Those who take the time to hike the trails may enjoy 3,000 feet of shoreline and [...]

Many Seattle home buyers are interested in a neighborhood that’s “walkable”. In other words, an area where it easy is it to get the necessities of life if you’re mode of transportation is your own two feet.
We’ve mentioned the Walkscore Service before, but they recently completed a feature called America’s Most Walkable Neighborhoods. The Seattle [...]

Are you a resident of Finn Hill, North Juanita, Kingsgate or Kirkland?  We received a postcard this week with the dates to the upcoming meetings regarding the Kirkland Annexation situation:
“The City of Kirkland is hosting three community meetings to present the latest information on the City’s potential annexation of the Finn Hill, North Juanita and [...]